As they moved down the aisle, Aurelian leaned slightly toward a nearby student and flashed an easy grin.
"So," he said casually, "is this class always this tense, or are we just lucky today?"
The student blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden friendliness. He adjusted his collar nervously. "Uh… it's usually quieter."
Aurelian chuckled. "Ah. Guess we're spicing things up already."
Eira shot him a warning glance from the next row, but Aurelian only shrugged and slipped his hands casually into his pockets as he sat down. Clyde took the seat beside him and lowered his voice.
"You're drawing attention."
"That's fine," Aurelian whispered back. His eyes wandered around the classroom with open curiosity rather than caution. "If something's hiding here, it should know we're here."
Marlowe leaned back in his chair behind them and smirked. "Bold strategy."
At the front of the room, Maelis turned toward the chalkboard. His movements were slow and deliberate, almost unnaturally calm. The chalk scraped softly as he wrote a single word.
ICHOR
He turned back toward the class.
"Does anyone know what ichor is?"
For a brief moment, the classroom was silent. Before Clyde could answer, Aurelian's hand shot up.
"I know. Ichor is the blood of ancient gods and goddesses."
Several students glanced toward him. Maelis studied Aurelian for a moment before nodding.
"That is correct. A precise answer. You seem to have an exceptional talent in history."
Aurelian leaned back with a satisfied smile. "Of course I do."
A few students laughed quietly.
Maelis continued the lecture, explaining about the cataclysm. Aurelian kept raising his hand with additional questions, clearly enjoying the topic more than he should have.
Clyde sighed and scribbled something on a small piece of paper before tossing it onto Aurelian's desk. Aurelian unfolded it.
We are undercover. Stop drawing attention.
Aurelian glanced sideways at Clyde and nodded slightly, finally staying quiet for the rest of the lesson. Still, Clyde noticed something strange. A girl near the back of the classroom kept glancing toward him. Her gaze lingered for a moment before quickly looking away whenever their eyes almost met.
Soon the bell rang, signaling recess. Students stood up and filled the hallways with chatter. Clyde walked toward the cafeteria with Marlowe, Aurelian, and Eira. When they arrived, a large crowd had gathered near the center of the room.
Someone was being bullied.
When they pushed through the crowd, they saw a tall student standing in the middle of the circle. He had broad shoulders and a heavy build, his academy uniform stretched tightly across his chest. His dark hair was cut short, and a faint scar crossed his eyebrow. His expression was filled with irritation and arrogance, like someone used to getting his way.
This was Marcus Nox Veylor.
In front of him stood a much shorter boy holding a stack of books. The boy looked thin and slightly hunched, his messy dark hair falling over his forehead. Large round glasses slid down his nose as he nervously pushed them back up again. His uniform looked neat but worn, and his arms trembled slightly as he tried to keep his books from falling.
This was Cedric Nox Vale.
Marcus shoved Cedric hard. Cedric stumbled backward, barely catching himself before dropping his books.
Aurelian frowned and stepped forward. "Hey you. What's your name?"
Marcus slowly turned toward him. "None of your business."
Without warning, Marcus rushed forward.
Aurelian moved instantly, stepping aside as Marcus's fist cut through empty air. Marcus swung again, but Aurelian dodged effortlessly.
"You're like a bull," Aurelian said calmly while avoiding another punch. "The difference is that a bull actually has a brain."
The surrounding students laughed. Marcus roared in anger and charged again. Aurelian pivoted and kicked him square in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall.
Meanwhile, Clyde stepped forward and helped Cedric to his feet.
"What's your name?" Clyde asked calmly.
Cedric pushed his glasses up nervously. "Cedric… Cedric Nox Vale."
Behind them, Marcus pushed himself off the wall and rushed forward again.
"You—!"
Clyde stepped forward and delivered a single quick punch.
Marcus collapsed instantly, knocked out cold.
The cafeteria fell silent.
None of the students noticed the subtle shift in Clyde's lunar ichor except Aurelian, Marlowe, and Eira. They all felt the brief pulse of power that flashed through the air.
Aurelian immediately raised his hands and shouted dramatically, "MEDIC! Someone call a medic! Someone just got knocked out cold!"
The crowd erupted into chaos. While everyone's attention was on Marcus, Clyde quietly stepped away. Aurelian followed him.
"I thought we were keeping a low profile," Aurelian whispered.
Clyde shrugged slightly. "I was just testing my resonance."
Soon after, a teacher approached them. "You two. Principal's office."
Inside the office, they were surprised to see Aldric waiting.
"You two are supposed to be fighting Howlings," Aldric said calmly. "Not humans."
Neither of them responded.
Finally Aldric spoke again. "Clyde, investigate the girl who kept looking at you earlier. Aurelian, monitor Cedric."
Later that evening, everyone returned to their dorms. As Eira walked down the quiet hallway, something about the day continued bothering her. The bully, the nerd, the strange attention—it all felt too convenient.
She searched through the academy records and eventually found the bully's name.
Marcus Nox Veylor.
When Eira opened her dorm locker, dozens of envelopes suddenly spilled onto the floor. Letters. Love letters. Piles of them.
She slowly picked one up.
Almost every letter was signed with the same name.
Cedric.
Eira's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Aurelian," she said quietly. "Come out."
A moment later Aurelian stepped out from the shadows of the hallway with a grin. "Come on. I was just worried about you."
Eira pulled him into the room. "Did you notice something strange about Cedric?"
"He's a nerd," Aurelian said. "Bullies pick on him."
"No," Eira replied, gesturing toward the letters. "These are mostly from him. And I can feel someone watching me. Almost like I'm being stalked."
Aurelian frowned. "So the bully isn't the problem?"
"The bully is Marcus Nox Veylor," Eira said. "But he's strange too. It feels like they're putting on a scene… like they're trying to lure us out."
A knock suddenly echoed through the room.
Eira looked at Aurelian. "Hide."
Aurelian nodded and ducked behind the sofa. Eira opened the door.
Cedric stood outside, his face completely red.
"Um… did you read the letter I gave you?"
"Yes," Eira replied.
Cedric swallowed nervously. "Then… would you like to go on a date with me?"
Eira rejected him politely but firmly. Behind the sofa, Aurelian clenched his fist in disbelief.
This guy has balls of steel, he thought.
Eira closed the door.
A few seconds later, another knock came.
She opened it again.
This time it was Marlowe.
"Eira, have you seen Clyde or Aurelian?"
Aurelian slowly raised his head from behind the sofa. "I'm here."
Marlowe laughed quietly. "Why are you hiding there?"
"We were investigating Cedric," Eira said.
Then she paused.
"Wait… you said Clyde was missing?"
Marlowe nodded slowly. "Yeah. I thought he was with you."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Eira slowly walked toward the window.
Outside, the courtyard of Cristae Academy was silent. The moon hung low above the trees, casting pale light across the empty grounds.
For a moment, she thought she saw a figure standing near the tree line.
Tall.
Completely still.
Watching the dormitory.
Watching them.
Eira blinked.
The figure was gone.
She stepped back slowly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"…Something is very wrong with this school."
Far away, somewhere deep in the dark halls of Cristae Academy, a faint sound echoed.
Not footsteps.
Something dragging across the floor.
And somewhere in that darkness…
Clyde was not alone.